Zappe Among Players Let Go as Patriots Roster Cuts Begin

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3 months ago at 4:40 pm ET

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots made a surprise move on Tuesday, waiving back up quarterback, Bailey Zappe, as the club begins paring down its roster to 53 players.

Also joining Zappe was fellow quarterback Malik Cunningham, who had a solid outing in his first game against Houston, but was quiet the last two weeks.

The big question now is going to be whether or not the Patriots want to get Zappe back onto the practice squad along with Cunningham, or if they’re going to go ahead and instead make a move to bring in a veteran quarterback behind Mac Jones.

According to Masslive.com reporter, Karen Guregian, the team is reportedly hoping to keep both players in the fold on the practice squad, but obviously both quarterbacks will also need to clear waivers in order for that to happen.

If they do decide to bring in a veteran, one player who comes to mind is Colt McCoy, who was released by the Cardinals ahead of roster cut downs. His name has been brought up by several people as a solid veteran option behind Jones, but it certainly appears like the coaching staff is hoping to upgrade that position based on today’s transactions.

It’s been a rough pre-season for Zappe, who has been inconsistent, and really hasn’t played well over the last two weeks. Several reports have said that he struggled in what’s a more complex offense than the Patriots had last season, and it’s clear by seeing him out on the field that he’s taken a step backwards compared to where he was this time last preseason.

Roster cuts are slowly still being reported, but these two are certainly surprising. We’ll find out in the next 24 hours whether or not either player will be part of the club in 2023, or if the quarterback room will look vastly different in the coming months.